Laparoscopic surgery, which can also be referred to as minimally invasive surgery, is a surgical technique that includes operations performed through small incisions in the body of a patient. There can be a number of advantages to the patient with laparoscopic surgery compared to open procedures where larger incisions are made. For example, pain and hemorrhaging can be reduced due to the smaller incisions and recovery times can be shorter.
In a conventional laparoscopic procedure, a distal end of a laparoscopic or electrosurgical device can be passed through a small incision in the skin of a patient. The distal end of the laparoscopic device is then positioned at or adjacent a surgical site. One or more surgical procedures are then performed at the surgical site, which can include cutting and/or sealing tissue. The distal end of the laparoscopic device can be removed from the patient after the completion of the surgical procedure. Disadvantages present in conventional laparoscopic devices can include one or more limited abilities with respect to steering (i.e., positioning) the distal end of the laparoscopic device and manipulating of distal features of the laparoscopic device (e.g., clasping features, vessel sealing features, cutting features, etc.). Accordingly, a need exists for improved laparoscopic devices and associated methods.